Do your pets have allergies?

[hoover]

I'm curious because my dog apparently has allergies.
I've taken him in to see the vet a few times already because he was scratching his ears, and licking his paws like crazy after we come in from walks.
She told me to put him on Benadryl and ear drops for two weeks (she thinks it could be snow mold allergies). It's been three now, and he doesn't seem better. The only change I've noticed in him is that he sleeps a lot more because the Benadryl makes him drowsy...
These vet visits/treatments don't seem to be helping him and the costs are getting up there. The vet even suggested that his paw licking might be self-soothing to deal with the loss of his bunny-buddy, but I dunno....

I was just wondering how common this is and you guys handle your pet's allergies...

 

[iLander]

I went through this with the paw licking and ears, too.

Took forever and lots of $$ for me (not the vet) to figure out that my dog hated wet grass. So now we walk the last half of the walk on the sidewalk so that when she's home, her paws are mostly dry. The tip off to me was that she only licked her front paws not her back, so it wasn't anything she was walking in, it was a neurosis.

The ears were just an ear thing, because mine had floppy ears that trapped water after a bath. She's had that off an on because she won't let me dry the inside of her ears.

BUT, mine is allergic to shrimp. Yup. We found out the hard way, when she got some shrimp out of the trash as a puppy and then practically went into shock a few hours later. We took her to the emergency vet (in the middle of the night), she was barfing and wheezing, and they couldn't figure it out. I suggested an allergy and the vet gave her a big shot of benedryl (or something) and she started breathing again.

I keep her away from shrimp, and sometimes when her ears bother her, her I give her a Benedryl. This seems to be working for us.

 

[lulu]

Our dog is allergic to almost everything, it seems. We give him injections once each month with a serum the vet formulated. And he gets four benadryl every day. About once each week the itching gets bad enough to give him some steroid.

If your guy isn't responding to the benadryl could it be something else?

 

[stargurl78]

I *think* my kitty has some sort of allergy to something. She started licking the fur off of her belly and legs in September. She has been back and forth to the vet several times but everything tests normal. Her blood and urine tests are fine, she doesn't have fleas, they did an ultrasound of her bladder, etc etc. We tried a steroid shot too. So I thought I would take it upon myself to try switching to the duck and pea diet in February. Then I thought, if she is possibly allergic to corn, then she would be allergic to her litter too (World's Best which is made of corn). So I switched the litter a few weeks ago too. She doesn't seem quite as bald but I do catch her licking in that area still. I'm going to give it a few more weeks and if there are no results I'm either going to try to eliminate something else or try a different vet.

Maybe try googling his symptoms and see what other people have to say. Sending dust that your furbaby feels better soon!

 

[missy]

Our cat Fred has asthma but so far he hasn't needed treatment. Ironic because my dh and I have allergic asthma to our cats.

Hope your dog feels better soon Hoover!

 

[justginger]

I have found that most pets with the worst allergies are purebred - I'm not quite sure why that is, but I have yet to stumble upon a mutt/mog that has SERIOUS allergies. One coworker has a pure Golden and dropped about $6000 on vet bills in the first 6 months, trying to identify his triggers and get him on an allergen free diet. He's finally stabilized, but has weekly injections and his food budget is about $100/week. Another coworker had a pure Boxer - spent a fortune and still couldn't stop the poor dog's misery so had to put him to sleep.

Experiences of others tells me you need to expect to spend some time and money to isolate the issue. Exclusion diets of 2 weeks, cycling through turkey, chicken, perhaps deer (they use kangaroo here!), no corn, no gluten, etc until you find the right combo. Skin allergy tests are necessary as well. If you can just identify the trigger, it will only be a matter of limiting contact. Good luck!

 

[missy]

I have found that most pets with the worst allergies are purebred - I'm not quite sure why that is, but I have yet to stumble upon a mutt/mog that has SERIOUS allergies. One coworker has a pure Golden and dropped about $6000 on vet bills in the first 6 months, trying to identify his triggers and get him on an allergen free diet. He's finally stabilized, but has weekly injections and his food budget is about $100/week. Another coworker had a pure Boxer - spent a fortune and still couldn't stop the poor dog's misery so had to put him to sleep.

Experiences of others tells me you need to expect to spend some time and money to isolate the issue. Exclusion diets of 2 weeks, cycling through turkey, chicken, perhaps deer (they use kangaroo here!), no corn, no gluten, etc until you find the right combo. Skin allergy tests are necessary as well. If you can just identify the trigger, it will only be a matter of limiting contact. Good luck!

My guess is because purebreds have all the recessive traits because they are inbred whereas mixed breeds are just overall healthier because there is a bigger mix of the gene pool.

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

I *think* my kitty has some sort of allergy to something. She started licking the fur off of her belly and legs in September. She has been back and forth to the vet several times but everything tests normal. Her blood and urine tests are fine, she doesn't have fleas, they did an ultrasound of her bladder, etc etc. We tried a steroid shot too. So I thought I would take it upon myself to try switching to the duck and pea diet in February. Then I thought, if she is possibly allergic to corn, then she would be allergic to her litter too (World's Best which is made of corn). So I switched the litter a few weeks ago too. She doesn't seem quite as bald but I do catch her licking in that area still. I'm going to give it a few more weeks and if there are no results I'm either going to try to eliminate something else or try a different vet.

Maybe try googling his symptoms and see what other people have to say. Sending dust that your furbaby feels better soon!

My male cat has been overgrooming like that for years. My vet called it stress and anxiety stemming from an allergic reaction to a flea bite. It has become a habit for him. A shame, he's so handsome when he lets his hair grow out. His overgrooming fluctuates. Who knows what stresses him out. If I could sleep on the couch all day, I don't think I'd have any stress at all. (His fur is black, so the bald spots really stand out..his chubby bald white belly is so ridiculous.)

But back to the OP, sorry your doggy is itchy! Hope the Benadryl works.

 

[stargurl78]

Our cat Fred has asthma but so far he hasn't needed treatment. Ironic because my dh and I have allergic asthma to our cats.

Hope your dog feels better soon Hoover!

Missy, that's too funny because our kitty is asthmatic and my DH and I are both allergic to cats and we both have ashtma (which can be flared up from allergies).

 

[yssie]

We're pretty sure one of our cats has allergies. He gets sniffly w/ the changing seasons and perks right back up after a couple of weeks, and benadryl keeps him happy enough in the meantime. We give him a half-dose for his weight - he's still pretty drowsy though.

I LOL thinking about it. The allergen has allergies


hoover, I hope benadryl does the trick for your boy!

 

[iheartscience]

My kitty Ophelia definitely has seasonal allergies. I took her to the vet 2 years in a row before I realized it's just allergies and not a cold! If Benadryl hasn't helped after several weeks and the vet hasn't given you anything else to try, I'd probably seek a second opinion or see if you can find a specialist.

 

[missy]

Our cat Fred has asthma but so far he hasn't needed treatment. Ironic because my dh and I have allergic asthma to our cats.

Hope your dog feels better soon Hoover!

Missy, that's too funny because our kitty is asthmatic and my DH and I are both allergic to cats and we both have ashtma (which can be flared up from allergies).

LOL, do you think our cats are actually allergic to us as we are to them? LOL.

 

[hoover]

Thanks for the replies and well wishes, everyone!

My guy isn't purebred - he's a golden retriever crossed with a mini-poodle. We got him because he's one of the few dogs I'm not too allergic to (sometimes he makes me itchy), so I guess it's another case of the allergen having allergies
We feed him corn-free kibble (Orijen) and give him organic treats (and yes, we are guilty of sneaking him bits of our steak and chicken. It's so hard to resist those eyes and the pouty face)

Yikes! Shrimp allergy? I never would have thought... But I guess you never know what these guys might get into.

I'm just worried that maybe I'm not doing as much as I can for him.... I felt so bad when I saw scratch marks/scabs on his ears, and I feel a little evil doping him up with the Benadryl cuz sleepy dog means I could get some work done too
It's a relief to know that others are giving their pets Benadryl too - at first I thought it was a little odd that we should be giving him ppl meds. Now it seems like that's normal. So sorry to hear about your pets too, but at least I know I'm not alone (coworkers laughed at me and said I'm humanizing aDog)

I hope all your ani-pals (and fellow allergy sufferers) have a low-reaction season.

 

[kenny]

Our dogs are allergic to human dander so they make my SO and I live in the backyard now.
We aren't allowed into the house, ever.

I'm just thankful they didn't take us to the pound or rehome us.

 

[Cluless]

Did you try grain free? My 2 are allergic to chicken their ears get really bad if they have chicken and they both love chicken so, it breaks my heart not to give, but it helps.The spoiled brats refuse to eat their kibble if there is no human food in it so I'll vary beef, salmon, turkey, duck.I've come across a food called Now that they seem to like and they both seem to be doing better. Good luck with your fur baby.

 

[Amys Bling]

Yep- my dog takes 3 Allegra a day- plus a vet prescribed beta- blocker to help with the itching- plus special diet food.

Can someone say.. Cha-Ching??? $$$$

 

[Haven]

If any of our pets have allergies we don't know about them. We feed them all a raw diet, though, so they aren't exposed to a lot of different ingredients.

hoover--My mom's pup Tallulah has the same paw-licking issues that yours has. When she was younger she would lick her paws until they started to bleed a bit. It turns out that she has allergies. She takes Benadryl, and after every walk we take a damp towel and wipe down her paws, and then dry them completely. This has been a good way to manage her symptoms for the last ten+ years. She's 14 now, we discovered the allergies when she was very young and I was still living at home.

Poor allergic pets! I hope you all find ways to relieve their symptoms, soon.

 

[Amys Bling]

If any of our pets have allergies we don't know about them. We feed them all a raw diet, though, so they aren't exposed to a lot of different ingredients.

hoover--My mom's pup Tallulah has the same paw-licking issues that yours has. When she was younger she would lick her paws until they started to bleed a bit. It turns out that she has allergies. She takes Benadryl, and after every walk we take a damp towel and wipe down her paws, and then dry them completely. This has been a good way to manage her symptoms for the last ten+ years. She's 14 now, we discovered the allergies when she was very young and I was still living at home.

Poor allergic pets! I hope you all find ways to relieve their symptoms, soon.

great idea! can't believe we didn't think of this before! we are definitely going to start doing that...

 

[hoover]

No chicken for doggy? We'd be the ones kicked out of the house or sent to the pound!

Monster also has to have a little human food in his kibble before he'll eat it too. Kind of like a reward-me-cuz-you're-lucky -I-didn't-steal-from-your-plate and I-was-good-and-slept-under-the-table-during-dinner-so-gimme-meat-for-my-dinner.

I do wipe his feet when we come in and his feet are wet/dirty - i'll try wiping his feet every time. I think he's like some of your dogs in that he's probably a little neurotic, too.
Thanks for the input guys - sounds like I'll have to do a little "animal testing" to see what bothers him and what helps him

Loving these fur babies a.k.a. spoiled brats really aren't cheap. Then again, loving human babies aren't cheap either

 

[diamondringlover]

Both our dogs had allergies...and I am beginning to wonder about our cat, she has been sneezing alot in the last week or so and the pollen count is really high in our area...

 

[omc111]

Most dogs have environmental rather than food allergies. i think the paw licking is a sign of environmental allergies. You might ask your vet if your dog has developed yeast in between her pads and maybe in her ears. After bathing my dogs, I always use a little chlorihexiderm (probably not spelled correctly) on a cotton ball as a drying agent for a wet ear. Helps tremendously. If your dog does have food allergies and you don't want to go the elimination home cooked diet route or the raw diet (which i think is the best), Science Diet makes a food "Ultra ZD" which is specifically formulated for dogs with allergies. I'm not a fan of Science Diet, but I raise Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, who are prone to severe food and environmental allergies as well as 2 protein loosing syndromes which are usually fatal. This is the food we usually use for them. It actually helps. Also, if your dog comes back itching from a walk, change your route. Maybe she's allergic to something along the way.

Good luck to you. I've had 2 Wheatens in my breeding program that I decided not to breed because of allergies. It's up to breeders to try to eliminate as many genetic problems in our purebreds as we can. And allergies are a big one.

 

[audball]

The vet has determined that Darwin is allergic to wheat. Yeah...we have to be careful about foods and even litters, but he needs no medication as long as we keep those things away from him.

The first trigger was actually a litter switch. The normal litter I buy wasn't in stock when I went to pick some up one day so I chose another, Swheat Scoop. It took awhile to connect the timing of the new litter to what was bothering him, but we finally figured it out.

It was a few weeks, and he progressively got worse. The vet diagnosed him with an upper respiratory infection when we first took him in. He was so congested. Wheezing. Sneezing every 5 minutes. Over the weeks it go to where he was actually sneezing out snot like a toddler. I felt awful for him. His eyes were goopy, he was miserable.

It finally clicked. We threw away the litter and got his old stuff back and he cleared up in 2-3 days. We spoke with the vet and had some tests done, she confirmed a wheat allergy.

Who would have thunk? Haha.

 

[Okie_girl]

Several of my cats have allergies. One seems to be hypersensitive to most everything, I can't even vaccinate him because he has reactions. A flea bite would torture him no end. Another one is going through a really rough allery attack right now, sounds very much like what Audball described- congested, snotty, etc.

For those of you who give your cats benadryl, do you give a pill or the liquid? My guy is a horrible medicine taker, and I've tried both pill and liquid, and it's awful! He foams at the mouth like he's rabid, and then drools all throughout the house. The benadryl does seem to help with his symptoms, but I can hardly stand to give it to him.

 

[hoover]

I stick the Benadryl pill on a dab of peanut butter or inside a piece of cooked steak.

A friend of mine gave her dog his meds in a pill pocket until he figured it out and started eating the pocket and left the pill behind. Then she switched to boiling chicken hearts and stuffed the pills inside the ventricles.

I've seen pill pockets at the vet's office and at pet stores... Maybe kitty will take that easier than forcing a pill down?

 

[Okie_girl]

I stick the Benadryl pill on a dab of peanut butter or inside a piece of cooked steak.

A friend of mine gave her dog his meds in a pill pocket until he figured it out and started eating the pocket and left the pill behind. Then she switched to boiling chicken hearts and stuffed the pills inside the ventricles.

I've seen pill pockets at the vet's office and at pet stores... Maybe kitty will take that easier than forcing a pill down?

Good suggestion, Hoover, but mine figured out the pill pocket, too. It worked really well for about 2 days, then he did the same thing- ate all around the pill. I guess I need to find something delectable to wrap the pill in. He loves chicken and cheese, so that might do the trick.

 

[missy]

I stick the Benadryl pill on a dab of peanut butter or inside a piece of cooked steak.

A friend of mine gave her dog his meds in a pill pocket until he figured it out and started eating the pocket and left the pill behind. Then she switched to boiling chicken hearts and stuffed the pills inside the ventricles.

I've seen pill pockets at the vet's office and at pet stores... Maybe kitty will take that easier than forcing a pill down?

Good suggestion, Hoover, but mine figured out the pill pocket, too. It worked really well for about 2 days, then he did the same thing- ate all around the pill. I guess I need to find something delectable to wrap the pill in. He loves chicken and cheese, so that might do the trick.

Okie, I might have missed this but have you ever tried "pilling" your cat? It is easy once you have the technique down. You just grab the scruff of their neck and pull back a little bit only, open their mouth (usually it is already open when you pull their head back but just in case you need extra space) with your first 3 fingers and then put the pill as far back as you can. It is easier than it sounds once you get the hang of it. Make sure you follow this with food or water so the cat doesn't get an esophageal inflammation.

Good luck!

 

[Amys Bling]

my dog is a little piggie- he eat his pills right out of my hands!! no need to trick him, he'll eat anything

 

[amc80]

What are you feeding him? Our english bulldogs will chew on their paws if they eat anything with sugar. Which basically wipes out any treats. We have them on California Naturals food, as recommended by the vet, and they haven't had any health problems.

 

[Okie_girl]

I stick the Benadryl pill on a dab of peanut butter or inside a piece of cooked steak.

A friend of mine gave her dog his meds in a pill pocket until he figured it out and started eating the pocket and left the pill behind. Then she switched to boiling chicken hearts and stuffed the pills inside the ventricles.

I've seen pill pockets at the vet's office and at pet stores... Maybe kitty will take that easier than forcing a pill down?

Good suggestion, Hoover, but mine figured out the pill pocket, too. It worked really well for about 2 days, then he did the same thing- ate all around the pill. I guess I need to find something delectable to wrap the pill in. He loves chicken and cheese, so that might do the trick.

Okie, I might have missed this but have you ever tried "pilling" your cat? It is easy once you have the technique down. You just grab the scruff of their neck and pull back a little bit only, open their mouth (usually it is already open when you pull their head back but just in case you need extra space) with your first 3 fingers and then put the pill as far back as you can. It is easier than it sounds once you get the hang of it. Make sure you follow this with food or water so the cat doesn't get an esophageal inflammation.

Good luck!

Missy, I've sort of tried this, but I really think the problem is a little me, a little my cat. I know he hates taking medication of any sort, so I get all nervous and tense, which doesn't make things any easier at all! I think I need to be quicker about popping the pill in, and not quite as tentative about it. You'd think I'd be a pro at it, as many cats as I've got! Thanks for the advice, I'll practice!

 

[hoover]

What are you feeding him? Our english bulldogs will chew on their paws if they eat anything with sugar. Which basically wipes out any treats. We have them on California Naturals food, as recommended by the vet, and they haven't had any health problems.

I haven't changed his kibble (Orijen) or given him new treats. So unless he's developed a new allergy to something in his existing food....

I did notice that his scratching coincided with the snow melting (so possible environmental allergy, snow mold?), and his excessive licking started about a month after our bunny passed away which was also the same time as the snow melting. That's why the vet said his licking and scratching is most likely allergies exacerbated by his attempt at self-soothing. I do wonder sometimes if there's such a thing as doggy depression...

When I see him scratching his ears now, I run over and put my hands over them so that he doesn't scratch to the point of bleeding or scratch off the scabs (which hurts because he ends up scratching my hands). Vet says to continue Benadryl (2x a day) and doggy has new ear drops now - canaural. Hopefully that will help him...

I'm hoping that once we're done with the snow melt, and things are green and growing again, his allergies will clear up and his scratching and licking will stop. Sadly though, that'll be when my symptoms start